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Providence Therapeutics Publishes two New Papers Highlighting the Potential of mRNA Vaccines to Outpace Evolving Viruses Like COVID-19
CALGARY, Alberta, January 13, 2025 – Are we forced to keep updating vaccines to chase fast-changing viruses such as COVID-19 and flu viruses? Two newly published papers from the scientists at Providence Therapeutics Holdings, Inc. (PT) and their collaborators show that we may outsmart the viruses, by using mRNA vaccines.
In the first paper that was published in npj Vaccines, https://rdcu.be/d5NGx, a bivalent mRNA vaccine made by PT was found to induce broadly reactive immune responses against multiple COVID-19 virus strains, including the recently circulating ones, such as Omicron XBB.1.5 and JN.1, even though they were not included in the bivalent mRNA vaccine (The bivalent mRNA vaccine encodes the two spike proteins, one from the original COVID-19 virus and one from an old Omicron strain). Furthermore, the bivalent mRNA vaccines can protect mice and hamsters from infection by multiple strains of COVID-19 virus, including XBB.1.5. The underlying mechanisms for this broad protection are the potent antibodies and in particular T cells induced by the bivalent vaccine. Compared to antibodies, COVID-19 virus can hardly evade from the T cells. Indeed, the findings reported in this paper indicate that although Omicron JN.1 evaded from the neutralizing antibodies elicited by the mRNA vaccine, T cell response remained largely intact against the JN.1. T cells induced by the bivalent mRNA vaccine were also barely affected by immune imprinting, a phenomenon that negatively affects updated vaccines in generating effective antibodies against new COVID-19 and flu virus strains. In conclusion, the findings reported in this paper support the “old” bivalent mRNA vaccines could still protect people from new Omicron strain infections by harnessing T cells, which was robustly elicited by the vaccine.
In the second paper that was published in Plos One, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0314061, another vaccination strategy to deal with the rapid mutation of COVID-19 virus was explored. A tri-antigenic COVID-19 mRNA vaccine was designed and manufactured at PT. This vaccine contains mRNA encoding two additional proteins of COVID-19 virus besides spike, nucleocapsid (N) and membrane (M) proteins (All currently approved COVID-10 vaccines only target spike). Compared to spike, N and M proteins are much less mutated in COVID-19 virus and thus attractive targets for development of next generation of COVID-19 vaccine, which can protect against multiple virus strains, old and new. Our collaborators at Sunnybrook Research Institute and University of Toronto tested the new tri-antigenic mRNA vaccine in mice as a booster dose (3rd dose) to mimic COVID-19 booster vaccination in humans. They found that the tri-antigenic mRNA vaccine was as effective as PT’s spike-only mRNA vaccine in inducing broadly neutralizing antibodies and protecting mice from infection by an Omicron strain that carries a different spike from that encoded by the vaccines. Interestingly, the dose of the spike mRNA in the tri-antigenic mRNA vaccine was half of that in the spike-only mRNA vaccine, suggesting the N and M protein encoded in the tri-antigenic mRNA vaccine also helped generate effective immune response against spike. Overall, these results indicate that the tri-antigenic mRNA vaccine provide an avenue to develop the next generation of broadly protective COVID-19 mRNA vaccines.
Congratulations to our collaborators and the Providence Therapeutics team!
Providence and Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) partnering to discover and develop mRNA therapeutics
CALGARY, AB and TORONTO, May 23, 2024 /CNW/ - Providence Therapeutic Holdings Inc. ("Providence"), a messenger RNA (mRNA) and lipid nanoparticle platform company engaged in the development of vaccines and therapeutics, and the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR), Ontario's largest publicly funded cancer research institute delivering real-world solutions to people affected by cancer, today announced the signing of a collaboration agreement for mRNA drug discovery and development. This is a unique collaboration that combines OICR's expertise in cancer genomics and translational drug discovery with Providence's next generation of mRNA and LNP technology to accelerate preclinical drug development and launch new clinical initiatives that answer key questions in clinical oncology.
"OICR and Providence share a common vision of advancing research in cancer prevention and treatment in Ontario, across Canada, and globally. We look forward to leveraging Providence's next generation mRNA and LNP platform technology and drug development expertise alongside the experts at OICR to improve the lives of people battling cancer," said Brad Sorenson, CEO and Founder of Providence Therapeutics.
"Partnering with an mRNA industry leader like Providence will help OICR harness our strengths in bioinformatics, genomics and immunology to generate new and exciting ways to prevent and treat cancer," says Dr. Laszlo Radvanyi, President and Scientific Director of OICR. "I am especially excited for the impact this partnership will have for people affected by cancer as well as the potential economic value it can bring in helping drive Canada's leadership in this rapidly growing field."
OICR and Providence's partnership will help advance modern drug development in Canada and create new clinical initiatives that will touch the lives of people across the country. As product development and manufacturing will be done domestically, Canadians will be first in line to participate in new clinical oncology programs and access new treatments.
All programs that emerge from this strategic partnership will result in guaranteed country-of-origin rights to Canada that will ensure Canadians will have affordable access to any medicines created.
About Providence Therapeutics
Providence Therapeutics has developed an mRNA medicines platform and has established itself as a competitive player within the mRNA scene for the last 10 years. Consisting of a clinically proven mRNA platform and a next-generation lipid-nanoparticle (LNP) platform, the company developed to enhance immune responses to cancers and infectious diseases. Along with this, Providence also has manufacturing and regulatory platforms that are capable of producing drugs for personalized vaccines up to pandemic scale amounts. Providence has a robust pipeline consisting of preclinical and clinical oncology, infectious diseases, and animal health programs. These programs have been developed internally and in collaboration with academic and industry partners that specialize in many different fields. For more information, please visit https://www.providencetherapeutics.com
About Ontario Institute for Cancer Research
OICR is funded by the Government of Ontario. As the province's cancer research institute, we take on the biggest challenges in cancer research and deliver real-world solutions to find cancer earlier and treat it more effectively. We are committed to helping people living with cancer, as well as future generations, live longer and healthier lives. For more information visit http://www.oicr.on.ca
For further information:
Providence Contact: Jordan Schwartz, Director, Partnerships and Innovation, , Phone: 403-440-3599
OICR Contact: Daniel Punch, Manager, Communications and Public Affairs, , Phone: 647-291-4583
Providence Therapeutics Announces Partnership with University Health Network (UHN) for mRNA Therapeutic Discovery and Development
CALGARY, Alberta, June 2, 2023 – Providence Therapeutics Holdings Inc. ("Providence"), a biopharmaceutical company developing messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines and therapeutics, today announced its mRNA drug discovery partnership with University Health Network (UHN), ranked first on a list of Canada's top 40 research hospitals by Research Infosource Inc. and within one of the world’s top 5 hospitals for the fourth year in a row, as reported by Newsweek. This collaboration will allow Providence and UHN to develop mRNA-based vaccines and therapeutics for those living with difficult to treat cancers and infectious diseases, using Providence’s proprietary mRNA platform technology.
“This partnership is unique in that it provides country-of-origin rights to Canada for all therapies developed under the agreement. As a parent of a child that survived a late-stage cancer diagnosis, I empathise with anyone that needs treatment that is available elsewhere in the world but is too expensive for our healthcare system in Canada,” said Brad Sorenson, MBA, chief executive officer of Providence Therapeutics. “UHN is world-class, and Providence has demonstrated its mRNA platform is on par with other major mRNA companies. This sets up Canada to be a leader in exporting life-saving therapies throughout the world while taking care of Canadians.”
Brad Wouters, Executive Vice President, Science and Research at the University Health Network added, “Our partnership with Providence demonstrates the strength of discovery research at the University Health Network and our potential to fuel innovative therapeutic options for patients. This partnership will help us get homegrown treatments to patients faster and is a key path forward for research discoveries to evolve into medical breakthroughs.”
Through this collaboration, UHN and Providence will be able to partner on cutting-edge discovery projects with breakthrough mRNA technology. The product development and subsequent manufacturing will be done in Canada, thereby directly benefiting Canadians.
Programs developed through the collaboration that receive funding from the Canadian government or not-for-profits will provide an option to the host government for 100% reimbursement to retain country specific rights to intellectual property.
About Providence Therapeutics
Providence is a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering mRNA therapeutics and vaccines with a focus on infectious diseases and oncology. Initially founded as a cancer vaccines company in 2015, in response to a worldwide need for a COVID-19 vaccine, Providence expanded its focus beyond oncology therapies to develop an mRNA vaccine for COVID-19. Providence works with multiple industry collaborators, universities, nongovernmental agencies and multiple arms of the Government of Canada to discover and develop vaccines and treatments for infectious diseases and cancer. This has resulted in the development of an mRNA vaccine platform that includes a proprietary design algorithm and proprietary, scalable manufacturing processes. For more information, please visit providencetherapeutics.com.
About University Health Network
University Health Network consists of Toronto General and Toronto Western Hospitals, the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, and The Michener Institute of Education at UHN. The scope of research and complexity of cases at University Health Network has made it a national and international source for discovery, education and patient care. It has the largest hospital-based research program in Canada, with major research in arthritis, cardiology, transplantation, neurosciences, oncology, surgical innovation, infectious diseases, genomic medicine and rehabilitation medicine. University Health Network is a research hospital affiliated with the University of Toronto. For more information, visit: www.uhn.ca.
About Commercialization at UHN
Enabling and leading industry partnerships at UHN, Commercialization at UHN is UHN’s catalyst for accelerating its world-class research and innovation into medical products, devices and therapies that improve care for patients around the world. This is how we create a healthier world. For more information, visit: www.uhncommercialization.ca.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws including regarding Providence's development plans, the initiation of phase 3 booster study, and the final analysis of the PRO-CL-002 Phase 2 study. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "may," "should," "could", "expects," "intends," "plans," "aims," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," "potential," "continue," or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. The forward-looking statements in this press release are neither promises nor guarantees, and you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond Providence's control, and which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties, and other factors include, among others: that here are a limited number of commercial products utilizing mRNA technology approved for use; the fact that mRNA technology in use by Providence is still being developed and implemented; the fact that the long term safety and efficacy of PTX-COVID19-B has not yet been established; inability to recruit patients for the conduct of the phase 3 booster study; the observation of adverse safety issues; issues regarding the manufacture and supply of PTX-COVID19-B; our capacity to meet supply and demand for our products; market acceptance of PTX-COVID19-B; the continuation of our collaborations and other significant agreements with our existing commercial partners and third-party suppliers and our ability to establish and maintain additional collaboration agreements; our expectations regarding our financial performance, including revenues, expenses, gross margins, profitability, liquidity, capital expenditures and income taxes; our estimates regarding our capital requirements; our ability to meet anticipated timelines for the development of our products; and unforeseen regulatory delays. Except as required by law, Providence disclaims any intention or responsibility for updating or revising any forward-looking statements contained in this press release in the event of new information, future developments or otherwise. These forward-looking statements are based on Providence's current expectations and speak only as of the date hereof.
Investor Contact:
Judyanna Yu
Providence Therapeutics
587-430-3889
Media Contact:
Providence Therapeutics Appoints Robert Georgantas, Ph.D. as President and Chief Technology Officer
CALGARY, Alberta, February 1, 2023 - Providence Therapeutics Holdings Inc. ("Providence"), a biopharmaceutical company developing messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines and therapeutics, today announced the appointment of Robert Georgantas III, Ph.D., as President and chief technology officer (CTO).
“Robert’s experience in drug discovery, clinical development, and management at the executive level across several biotech and large pharmaceutical companies will be invaluable as we continue advancing our pipeline of mRNA vaccines,” said Brad Sorenson, MBA, chief executive officer of Providence Therapeutics. “With the expansion of our pipeline of mRNA vaccines for cancer and infectious diseases and our COVID-19 vaccine candidate moving forward into Phase 3 trials this year, Robert’s insights will be crucial from a strategic and technical advancement perspective.”
Dr. Georgantas brings over 16 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. He most recently served as chief scientific officer of Biodesix, a biopharmaceutical company, where he was responsible for building and implementing the scientific strategy across the company, as well as product development activities and commercialization of the company’s pipeline products. He additionally contributed to clinical development and medical affairs activities, participating in the design and statistical analysis of multiple clinical studies. Prior to his work at Biodesix, Dr. Georgantas held the position of Director of Immunology for the Genomics Resource Center (GRC) of Excellence at AbbVie Inc., where he sat on multiple leadership teams focused on the company’s immunology programs, informing and implementing drug and disease strategies, asset development, clinical studies and drug discovery. While there, he also directed the development of new computational algorithms to address specific research and business needs to the GRC, as well as the clinical organization. Previously, Dr. Georgantas held research and faculty positions in the Department of Translational Sciences, Pharmacogenomics, Pharmacogenetics, and Biomarkers Group at MedImmune, Inc./Astra Zeneca and John Hopkins University, respectively. Dr. Georgantas received his Ph.D. at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and his master’s degree in Cellular Biology at the Illinois Institute of Technology.
Dr. Georgantas commented, “I’m very excited to be joining this experienced team as they develop a broad pipeline of promising mRNA vaccine candidates. As the company continues to advance its assets into clinical trials, I look forward to contributing my expertise in clinical development, as well as helping to optimize Providence’s mRNA platform technology for the development of potential vaccines for cancers and infectious diseases with profound unmet needs.”
About Providence Therapeutics
Providence is a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering mRNA therapeutics and vaccines with focus on infectious diseases and oncology. Initially founded as a cancer vaccines company in 2015, in response to a worldwide need for a COVID-19 vaccine, Providence expanded its focus beyond oncology therapies to develop an mRNA vaccine for COVID-19. Providence works with multiple industry collaborators, universities, nongovernmental agencies and multiple arms of the Government of Canada to discover and develop vaccines and treatments for infectious diseases and cancer. This has resulted in the development of an mRNA vaccine platform that includes a proprietary design algorithm and proprietary, scalable manufacturing processes. For more information, please visit providencetherapeutics.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws including regarding Providence's development plans, the initiation of phase 3 booster study, and the final analysis of the PRO-CL-002 Phase 2 study. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "may," "should," "could", "expects," "intends," "plans," "aims," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," "potential," "continue," or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. The forward-looking statements in this press release are neither promises nor guarantees, and you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond Providence's control, and which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties, and other factors include, among others: that here are a limited number of commercial products utilizing mRNA technology approved for use; the fact that mRNA technology in use by Providence is still being developed and implemented; the fact that the long term safety and efficacy of PTX-COVID19-B has not yet been established; inability to recruit patients for the conduct of the phase 3 booster study; the observation of adverse safety issues; issues regarding the manufacture and supply of PTX-COVID19-B; our capacity to meet supply and demand for our products; market acceptance of PTX-COVID19-B; the continuation of our collaborations and other significant agreements with our existing commercial partners and third-party suppliers and our ability to establish and maintain additional collaboration agreements; our expectations regarding our financial performance, including revenues, expenses, gross margins, profitability, liquidity, capital expenditures and income taxes; our estimates regarding our capital requirements; our ability to meet anticipated timelines for the development of our products; and unforeseen regulatory delays. Except as required by law, Providence disclaims any intention or responsibility for updating or revising any forward-looking statements contained in this press release in the event of new information, future developments or otherwise. These forward-looking statements are based on Providence's current expectations and speak only as of the date hereof.
Investor Contact:
Noy Wong
Providence Therapeutics
403-265-3765
Media Contact:
Providence Therapeutics Appoints Judyanna Yu as Chief Financial Officer
CALGARY, Alberta, November 2, 2022 - Providence Therapeutics Holdings Inc. ("Providence"), a biopharmaceutical company developing messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines and therapeutics, announces the appointment of Judyanna Yu, CPA, CA as chief financial officer (CFO).
“Judyanna’s extensive experience in global finance and operations will be critical as we enter our next phase of growth,” said Brad Sorenson, chief executive officer of Providence Therapeutics. “With the recent positive top-line data from the Phase 2 trial of our mRNA COVID-19 vaccine candidate, and as we solidify plans to further develop and expand our pipeline of mRNA vaccines for cancer and infectious diseases, Judyanna will be instrumental in identifying strategic partners to further our mRNA platform growth.”
Ms. Yu previously served as VP of Corporate Finance, Operations and Development at Cerecin Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, where she originated and closed equity deals, supported development of medium to long-term corporate finance strategy, led business development initiatives and managed engagement with investors, investment bankers and analysts in the biotech sector across the globe. Prior to that, she held the position of CFO and COO at Re-Stem Biotech, where her accomplishments included leading and closing equity financings of over $50 million with strategic investors and leading the growth of the company from 30 to 130 employees within 3 years. Ms. Yu held CFO and VP of Finance roles at several other large private and public companies throughout her career. She is a Chartered Professional Accountant, qualifying at KPMG, and she holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree with distinction from the University of Alberta.
Ms. Yu commented, “I’m honored to join Providence’s forward-thinking leadership team in their mission to leverage their world-class mRNA platform toward the greatest possible clinical benefit for underserved people worldwide. I look forward to supporting the company’s development as they advance toward late-stage vaccine trials while balancing their original focus on oncology programs.”
About Providence Therapeutics
Providence is a Canadian clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering mRNA therapeutics and vaccines with operations in Calgary, Alberta and Toronto, Ontario. Initially founded as a cancer vaccines company in 2015, in response to a worldwide need for a COVID-19 vaccine, Providence expanded its focus beyond oncology therapies to develop an mRNA vaccine for COVID-19. Providence works with multiple industry collaborators, universities, nongovernmental agencies and multiple arms of the Government of Canada to discover and develop vaccines and treatments for infectious diseases and cancer. This has resulted in the development of an mRNA vaccine platform that includes a proprietary design algorithm and proprietary, scalable manufacturing processes. For more information, please visit providencetherapeutics.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws including regarding Providence's development plans, the initiation of phase 3 booster study, and the final analysis of the PRO-CL-002 Phase 2 study. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "may," "should," "could", "expects," "intends," "plans," "aims," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," "potential," "continue," or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. The forward-looking statements in this press release are neither promises nor guarantees, and you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond Providence's control, and which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties, and other factors include, among others: that here are a limited number of commercial products utilizing mRNA technology approved for use; the fact that mRNA technology in use by Providence is still being developed and implemented; the fact that the long term safety and efficacy of PTX-COVID19-B has not yet been established; inability to recruit patients for the conduct of the phase 3 booster study; the observation of adverse safety issues; issues regarding the manufacture and supply of PTX-COVID19-B; our capacity to meet supply and demand for our products; market acceptance of PTX-COVID19-B; the continuation of our collaborations and other significant agreements with our existing commercial partners and third-party suppliers and our ability to establish and maintain additional collaboration agreements; our expectations regarding our financial performance, including revenues, expenses, gross margins, profitability, liquidity, capital expenditures and income taxes; our estimates regarding our capital requirements; our ability to meet anticipated timelines for the development of our products; and unforeseen regulatory delays. Except as required by law, Providence disclaims any intention or responsibility for updating or revising any forward-looking statements contained in this press release in the event of new information, future developments or otherwise. These forward-looking statements are based on Providence's current expectations and speak only as of the date hereof.
Investor Contact:
Noy Wong
Providence Therapeutics
403-265-3765
Media Contact:
Providence Therapeutics Announces New Chief Development Officer and Chief Medical Officer
mRNA Vaccine Maker Announces the Promotion of Natalia Martin Orozco to Chief Development Officer and the Hiring of Piyush Patel as Chief Medical Officer
TORONTO and CALGARY, AB, Jan. 22, 2021 /CNW/ - Providence Therapeutics is pleased to announce that Natalia Martin Orozco has been promoted to Chief Development Officer and the addition of Piyush Patel as Chief Medical Officer. Providence Therapeutics is an mRNA manufacturer that is developing a made-in-Canada COVID-19 vaccine, PTX-COVID19-B.
"Dr. Martin Orozco's work has been nothing short of amazing over this past year. Coordinating multiple sites, managing collaboration partners, overseeing GMP manufacturing and hiring new team members, all the while keeping our employees safe and productive in the middle of a pandemic; I truly can't say enough! I am so pleased to have her join the executive team and look forward to much more success in 2021," says Brad Sorenson, CEO of Providence Therapeutics, of Dr. Martin Orozco's promotion.
Dr. Martin Orozco joined Providence in mid-2018 as VP of Drug development. She set up the research and development laboratory at JLABs Toronto and built up the manufacturing capabilities for mRNA lipid nanoparticles focused on our Personalized Cancer Vaccine program. By the end of 2019, Natalia's team was producing mRNA vaccine lots for pre-clinical safety studies and was ready to move into a GMP manufacturing for Phase I trial. In March of 2020, when Providence shifted to produce a COVID-19 vaccine, Dr. Martin Orozco played a major role in driving the program to submission of a CTA and Phase I by the end of 2020.
Previous to joining Providence, Dr. Martin Orozco worked at EMD-Serono, and Iovance as Principal Scientist. She was an instructor at MD Anderson Cancer Center, where she published highly cited articles on Immunotherapy and Immune regulation.
Dr. Martin Orozco commented: "I appreciate the board's confidence in me, and I am very excited to continue working with our exceptional team of scientists, along with the senior executives and board of directors to progress our COVID-19 vaccine program."
Dr. Patel, a Clinical Immunologist, has over two decades of experience in designing and running hundreds of large and small clinical trials in many therapeutic areas, including infectious disease and allergy vaccines. He has an entrepreneurial mindset, having founded two CRO's, including Allied Research International, which became the largest CRO specializing in allergy and Environmental Exposure Chamber (EEC) studies. He is the author of over 20 patents related to EEC design for clinical research. As an expert in immunology and allergy, Dr. Patel has assisted many biotech companies in formulating clinical development plans and in interactions with regulatory agencies, including the FDA; he has also presented at FDA advisory committee meetings. He was named Entrepreneur of the Year for Canada in 2009.
"I am very excited to join the Providence team and help bring this essential vaccine to the market," says Dr. Patel.
"Designing and running a COVID vaccine clinical trial with the goal of delivering an essential vaccine as soon as possible, without compromising public safety, is no small task. Dr. Patel's decades of experience in managing large international multi-site clinical trials through all clinical stages is exactly what Providence needs at this critical moment," says Sorenson on the hire of Dr. Patel.
About Providence Therapeutics
Providence Therapeutics is Canada's leading mRNA vaccine company. In response to a worldwide need for a COVID-19 vaccine, Providence has expanded its focus beyond oncology and devoted its energy and resources to develop a mRNA vaccine for COVID-19. Providence Therapeutics is focused on serving the needs of Canada, and other countries that may be underserved by large pharmaceutical programs. For more information, please visit www.providencetherapeutics.com.
SOURCE Providence Therapeutics
Contact
For further information/Media contact:
Andrea Chrysanthou
Director, Communications
Global Public Affairs
Mobile: 416-797-8194
Direct: 416-597-3486
